Tag: Mobile Tech

Future Apple Products to Use LiquidMetal’s Amorphous Material

I was super excited yesterday when I learned that Apple acquired exclusive rights to LiquidMetal’s technologies. Part of it was that I immediately envisioned using a Terminator T-1000 for this story and part of it was because it gives Apple new trails to blaze.

While most people notice that Apple’s industrial design is miles ahead of most of its competitors, less people realize that its use of materials is also more advanced. Several companies offer aluminum laptops, but the unibody construction of the MacBook Pro is fairly unique and executed better than anyone else. The iPhone 4 is another example; how many other mobile phones are glass sandwiches?

LiquidMetal’s technology should lead to lighter and stronger Apple products in the future. Anyone care to guess what they could be? Do you expect the tech to be used in future generations of MacBook and iPhone products? Or will the LiquidMetal lead to the return of the eMac? Or maybe something new, like the T-1000, is on the horizon.

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More Apple Rumors: 3″ iPod Touch and 7″ iPad Mini?

Jer at iLounge posted a slew of Apple rumors the other day. Some of them will surely pan out, while others seem like a stretch (he admits this too). The two rumors I found particularly interesting had to do with screen size changes. Here’s the skinny:

There’s also continued chatter about a three-inch touchscreen that could make its way into an iPod, shaving half an inch off the diagonal of the current iPod touch.

A seven-inch-screened version of the iPad is substantially finished and will be ready for announcement either later this year or early in 2011. Apple has been prototyping devices with screens of this size for a long time—quite possibly predating the original iPhone.

It sounds odd for the iPod Touch to be getting a smaller screen. If it used Retina Display, that would be sorta kinda acceptable, but purported prototypes show that the next iPod Touch looks more like last year’s model than the iPhone 4.

A seven-inch iPad has the potential to shake up the market. Apple has sold millions of iPads, but some people — especially those that don’t understand the difference between data-consumption and data-creation devices — are turned off by the price. A cheaper iPad — I’m thinking $249 to $299 — would be killer. It would also take some of the shine off of Amazon’s recently price slashed Kindle. What I really want is an iPad with a camera and Retina Display…but I don’t see that happening until Q2 2011, at the earliest.

Let me know what you think of this batch of Mac rumors (please!). Any of ’em you find particularly juicy?

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Clear iSpot Offers Cheap 4G WiMax to iPhone, iPad, and iPod Users

Clear has announced the iSpot, a WiMax router that offers wireless high-speed Internet access for up to eight devices…as long as those devices are iPhones, iPads, and iPods. The device normally costs $99.99, but the company is running a special and offering it for $29. Monthly service costs $25, which is $15 cheaper than Clear’s cheapest plan that covers all devices.

If you live in an area that’s covered by Clear and are a Machole, the iSpot is an interesting device. The hardware and service are cheap, while the data rates are fantastic (though easily mucked with by buildings). Any of you intersted in the iSpot?

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HTC Glacier (Project Emerald) Benchmarks Totally Rock

The fine fellows at Android Community got their hands on benchmark results for the upcoming HTC Glacier, which is rumored to be the dual-core Snapdragon phone that’s behind T-Mobile’s Project Emerald. The results are frickin’ awesome. Check it out:

The Glacier managed to pull 1432 frames in the GLBenchmark Pro ES 1.1 CPU Skinning test consistently. While the Droid X reached 856 frames, the EVO managed 516 frames, and the G1 pulled a parsley 113 frames. While the iPhone 4 did 1016 frames. Shockingly enough, or perhaps not at all, the Vibrant reached 1409 frames. So, with those numbers, especially against the 1GHz Snapdragon processor in the EVO, the tipster believes that the 1432 frames (versus 516) means that the Glacier could very well be the dual-core monstrosity that we’ve all been waiting for.

I’m sold! Hmmm…the Samsung Vibrant posted some pretty stout numbers too — too bad I want a front-facing camera and LED flash. Decisions, decisions. Anyway, let me know if you’re interested in the HTC Glacier. A dual-core Snapdragon phone running Google Android with HTC Sense sounds brilliant to me. Et vous?

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Coffee Talk #192: “CSR Nightmares” or “Sprint CSRs Suck”

After installing FroYo on my Evo 4G, I decided that I was going to commit to the phone and reactivate it. This is a big deal for me as I have all sorts of commitment issues. I figured A) it’s a great phone that was free, B) I’m eligible for an upgrade straight away, and C) I get a service discount as a Google I/O attendee. After 25 minutes and three CSRs, I was unable to activate the phone with the discounted plan.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, what “taking my talents to South Beach” should be code for, what’s next for Juan Manuel Marquez, or those damn Devil Rays, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

After installing FroYo on my Evo 4G, I decided that I was going to commit to the phone and reactivate it. This is a big deal for me as I have all sorts of commitment issues. I figured A) it’s a great phone that was free, B) I’m eligible for an upgrade straight away, and C) I get a service discount as a Google I/O attendee. After 25 minutes and three CSRs, I was unable to activate the phone with the discounted plan.

I’m amazed that all three reps had no what I was talking about. Each of them insisted that I needed a Sprint employee’s email address and ID number. I have a sell sheet from the conference that clearly states that I’m eligible for the discount. It’s one thing for them not to know about Google I/O, but it’s another to be completely ignorant of a discount offer. I’m going to drop by a Sprint store today to try and activate the phone; I’m positive the CSRs there will also fail, but it should be good for a laugh. *sigh* This is why I went to T-Mobile….

Anyway, I’d love to hear some of your customer service nightmares. Whether it’s games, electronics, Internet service, or Real Dolls, I’m sure you guys and gals have some great stories to share. Let ’em fly (please)!

Today’s Poll: Is the BlackBerry Torch 9800 Enough to Help RIM?

Notice I didn’t use the phrase “save RIM” — the company is still kicking ass in the corporate space. In the consumer space, it’s losing ground to Apple iOS and Google Android. The BlackBerry Torch, armed with BlackBerry OS 6, is the first device geared towards retaining and winning back customers that want modern features like a WebKit browser, tightly integrated social networking, and adroit media handling. Do you think it’s enough to help RIM? Or will BlackBerry phones continue to lose users in the consumer space?

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Android 2.2 (FroYo) on HTC Evo 4G: Impressions and Benchmarks

I’ve been playing around with Android 2.2 on my HTC Evo 4G (Sprint) since last night. It’s pretty impressive so far — everything is snappier, the web browser is faster and has Flash, and there are some nice UI changes (love the ones in Gmail!).

To measure the performance gain, I used GreeneComputing’s Linpack for Android. I tested the Evo 4G before and after the installation of Android 2.2. For comparisons sake, I included the results of a Motorola Droid X running Android 2.1. The results (higher is better) were pretty nuts:

  • Evo 4G (Android 2.1): 4.355 MFLOPs
  • Droid X (Android 2.1): 8.239 MFLOPs
  • Evo 4G (Android 2.2): 37.593

As you can see, FroYo adds a pretty significant boost to performance. While real-world results will not be nine times faster, the speed boost is obvious. I’m going to write more detailed impressions of FroYo on the HTC Evo 4G later this week. Of course I might just sell the phone because the CSRs at Sprint are incompetent…but that’s another story.

RIM Security Too Good, BlackBerry Banned in United Arab Emirates

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of the United Arab Emirates has issued a ban on RIM BlackBerry phones and service starting October 11, 2010. Here’s the skinny:

The TRA confirmed today that Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry E-mail and Blackberry Web-browsing services in the UAE will be suspended as of October 11th 2010. The suspension is a result of the failure of ongoing attempts, dating back to 2007, to bring Blackberry services in the UAE in line with UAE telecommunications regulations.

From what I understand, RIM is being penalized because its security is too advanced for the TRA. The agency likes to keep close tabs on UAE citizens and appears unable to hack RIM’s BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) and BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS). I find the whole matter hilarious (you know, in that nerd way). RIM is going to miss out on one of the world’s burgeoning economies because it’s too good. Mobile handset makers that are less capable and/or secure have a huge opportunity in the UAE because of RIM’s competence.

Perhaps the TRA should recommend iPhone 4’s to everyone and get AT&T to provide service. If things get out of hand, blocking frisky communications is only a “death grip” away. I kid, I kid. You know I love the iPhone 4.

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Unlocked iPhone 4 Available in Canada and Mexico…FML

In a move that’s fantastic for our neighbors to the north and south (and sucks for me!), Apple is selling the iPhone 4 unlocked in Canada and Mexico. The unlocked Canadian version has common knowledge for weeks, but the Mexican version is new news. Not only does Mexico have the better version of Coke, it also has the superior version of the iPhone 4.

Yay for Canada and Mexico…. Yes, I’m in the bitter barn right now. Visiting my Zoe in Vancouver or taking a long weekend in Cabo would be fun…but I should save the money for a new computer. (Jokingly) FML.

Sprint Announces Android 2.2 (FroYo) for the HTC Evo 4G

Sprint has announced that its HTC Evo 4G will be getting upgraded to Google Android 2.2 (codename FroYo) starting August 3, 2010. Through its Twitter account, the company pointed out that it “is the first wireless carrier to bring Android 2.2 to customers”. FroYo adds some fantastic performance improvements and interesting features, which I covered in my Google I/O keynote live blog. Here are the features Sprint is highlighting:

  • Voice Dialing Over Bluetooth.
  • Application Storage on External Memory, giving users more storage room for all their apps.
  • Camera 4-way rotation allows the camera icons to rotate with the camera.
  • Improved Browser Performance including a faster JavaScript engine and Flash 10x Support improving the user’s ability to view videos and available content associated with web pages.

Sprint is having a very interesting year. It was the first American carrier to launch a 4G phone. During its quarterly earnings announcement, it gained subscribers for the first time in three years. Leading the way with FroYo is another sign that the company is, perhaps, transforming from the loser I left in 2009 to a progressive and aggressive carrier.

I’ll download FroYo on my Evo as soon as possible and give you guys the skinny. Stay tuned!

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